Bingo game apparatus



April 29, 1952 J. s. HOFSETZ 2,594,434

BINGO GAME APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. J4M$5. HOFJETZ April 29, 1952 J. s. HOFSETZ 2,594,434

BINGO GAME; APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J M M INVENTOR.Jzwis 5 /70F5 72 :34: BY W A T TOP/YE V Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITEDSTATES PATENT "OFFICE BINGO GAME APPARATUS James S. Hofsetz, Denver,Colo.

Application May 2, 1949,Serial No.90,933

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a game device for use in playing thewell-knowngame of bingo, and has for its principal object the provision of a"highly efiicient mechanism which will constantly 'and effectivelyagitate and intermixthe numbered balls employed in such a game;whichwill deliver these balls to the operator'ina chance sequence; andwhich will provide a raclg for receiving the delivered balls, insertionof the ball in which will act to close an indicating circuit.

Another object of the invention is to-provide a ball-receivingrack for"bingo games in which the delivered balls will be supported in theirproper numerical positions until the game is completed; and which willdischarge all of the balls from the rack simultaneously upon completionof the game.

A further object is to so construct the ball discharge mechanism oftherack that it will operate to open all indicating electrical circuitsof the machine when the balls'are discharged from the rack.

Other objects and advantages reside in the'detail construction of theinvention, which is *designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency.These will become'more apparent from the-following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a parthereof. Like -nu- 'meralsrefer to like parts in viewsof thedrawing and-throughout thedescription.

In the drawing: Fig. lis a plan view of-the'improvedgame-decuitsemployed between the .deviceand the indicating board of Fig. 6.

The improved gamedevice is built. into .a.'desl-:- like structuresupported upon suitable legs it and consisting of'a ball compartment'l.| anda rack compartment, designated in itsentiretyby the numeral I2.

The ball compartment is closed at the -?top :by

means Qf-atransparent cover I 3, and is provided with-a window 4.4 .in'the f-ront,. throughvrhich 'the "game balls, indicated at l5, arevisible. A hopperlike sub-bottom l6-is positioned in the ballcompartment ll. Thecentral portion of the subbottom I6 is formed by ahorizontal rotating disc mounted on the shaft of a motor-turning device1850' that it will rotate at approximately 150 revolutions per minute.The :disc I! carries a diametrically positioned scattering vane I9 whichactstoagitateandintermix th pile of balls restingon the sub-bottom l6and the disc IT.

A ball-discharge tube 20 leads through the wall of the sub-bottom lB'toa ball delivery trough 2| projecting from the rear face of the ballcompartment H. The balls enter the ball compartment II through areceiving opening 22 formed in the inside wallof the ball compartment H.

The balls are fed to the opening 22 by means of an inclined'bottom 23which extends throughout theentire'area-of the rackcompartment l2.

An inclined rackboard'24 covers the top of the rack compartmeritlZandissupported on cleats '46, see Fig. 5. Theplate 24 is provided with a'plurality'of ball-receiving holes 25 arranged in laterally andlongitudinally extending rows. Each hole is numbered, as indicated at45, to correspond to a number on-one of the balls I 5.

In the usual bingo game there are seventyfive'balls, and the rack board24 would be provided with seventy-five of the ball holes 25 arranged-infive longitudinal rows of fifteen holes per row. For convenience ofillustration, only thirty-five holes are illustrated, arranged in fiverows of seven holes each. It is to be understood the number of rowsa'ndholes can bevaried according to demands of'the'particular game.

A shifting plate 26 is mounted beneath and 'again'sttherackboard 24 andis provided with ball openings 2'|-similar in size and spacing to theholes 25. The shifting plate 26 is slidably mounted in the cleats 46 sothat it may be shifted forward and back. When the shifting plate is inits forwardpositiongindicated in Fig. 4, the open- 'ings-"2'lare-s1ightly out of alignment with the holes 25 so that a ball cannotfall through the openings'fl but is supported by the plate 26, as

shown in Fig. 4. When the shifting plate is moved 'rearwardly, theopenings-25 and 21 align with :each other," allowing the balls to fallthrough onto "the inclined-bottom 23, thence through the opening 22 tothe ball compa rtment H. An inclined Window '41 is provide'd'in thefront of the device through which the returning balls are visible tothegplayers.

- .The,=plate 26 isashiftedfrom a rotatable lever sli'aftcza through themedium of levers .29 which are affixed to and project from the shaft 28and which are connected to the plate 26 by means of suitable connectinglinks 3! The shaft 28 is rotated by means of handles 3i extending to theoperators position at the rear of the machine.

A switch board 32 is supported below the shifting plate 26 in parallelrelation thereto. This board is also provided with ball openings 33positioned in alignment with the openings 25. The switch plate carries aplurality of toggle switches 34, the handles of which, indicated at 35,extend upwardly through handle slots 35 in the rack board 24 to aposition above the latter. Each of the slots 36 joins one of the holes25 so that the handles 35 may be swung to a position to partiallyproject over the holes 25 when the switches are in the off position.When in the on position, the handle extends forwardly in the slot 36.

The holes 2? in the shifting plate are also provided with notches forthe passage of the handles 35. The latter notches are so arranged thatwhen the plate 26 is shifted rearwardly to align the openings 21 and 25,the extremities of the notches will engage the switch handles 35 whichare in the on position and force them rearwardly simultaneously to theoff" position.

Each of the switches 33 is connected by means of a conductor 37 to asignal lamp 353. All of the lamps 38 are grounded by means of a groundwire 39 to a source of power 49, and all of the switches 3d areconnected to the source of power it by means of a main conductor 3 l.The lamps are positioned behind a translucent face plate 32 ina lightbox .3. The face plate 42 is divided into sections and the sectionscarry numerals 6 corresponding in number and arrangement to the numerals45. on the rack board 24.

Let us assume that all of the balls are in the ball compartment, andthat they are being stirred and intermixed by means of the rotating discI! and the scattering vane [9. Certain of the balls will roll into theball discharge tube 20, and from thence into the trough 2|. The operatorwill pick up the foremost ball in the trough and call thenumber thereofto the players, and will then place the selected ball in its properreceiving opening 25. As the ball is placed in its receiving opening,the switch handle of that opening is forced forwardly to admit the balland to turn the toggle switch 3 of that opening to the on position. Thiscloses one of the circuits 3! and illuminates the number on the faceplate 62 corresponding to the number of that particular ball.

This procedure is continued until a player completes a prescribed row ofnumbers as is usual in the game of bingo. The winning numbers arechecked back with the operator and if correct the handles 3! aredepressed, causing the shifting plate 2% to move rearwardly so as toalign its openings 21 with the openings 25 of the plate 24. This allowsall of the balls to drop to the inclined bottom plate 23 to be returnedby gravity to the ball compartment H. The rearward movement of theshifting plate 26 simultaneously throws all of the on switches 36 to theoff position, thus extinguishing all of the lamps 38 so that the devicewill beset up ready for the next game.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied,within the scope of the appended claims, without departing fromthe-spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent is:

1. Electric switching means for a game apparatus of the type having asubstantially horizontal rack board provided with a plurality of ballpassages extending therethrough and having a shifting plate slidablypositioned below said rack board and provided with a similar number ofcorresponding passages, comprising a switch board positioned below saidshifting plate and provided with openings corresponding to the passagesin said rack board; a plurality of toggle switches mounted on saidswitch board, there being one switch for each opening therein; and aswitch-operating handle extending upwardly from each toggle switchthrough both said rack board and said shifting plate so as to beoperable from above the former.

2. Electric switching means for a game apparatus of the type having asubstantially horizontal rack board provided with a plurality of ballpassages extending therethrough and having a shifting plate slidablypositioned below said rack board and provided with a similar number ofcorresponding passages, comprising a switch board positioned below saidshifting plate and provided with openings corresponding to the passagesin said rack board; a plurality of toggle switches mounted on saidswitch board, there being one switch for each opening therein; aswitch-operating handle extending upwardly from each toggle switchthrough both said rack board and said shifting plate so as to beoperable from above the former, the openings in said shifting platebeing so arranged in relation to said switch handles that the latterwill be forced to the oil position when the openings in the shiftingplate are shifted into alignment with the passages in the rack board.

3. Electric switching means for a game apparatus of the type having asubstantially horizontal rack board provided with a plurality of ballpassages extending therethrough and having a shifting plate slidablypositioned below said rack board and provided with a similar number ofcorresponding passages, comprising a switch board positioned below saidshifting plate and provided with openings corresponding to the passagesin said rack board; a plurality of toggle switches mounted on saidswitch board, there being one switch for each opening therein; aswitch-operating handle extending upwardly from each toggle switchthrough both said rack board and said shifting plate so as to beoperable from above the former, the openings in said shifting platebeing so arranged in relation to said switch handles that the latterwill be forced to the off position when the openings in the shiftingplate are shifted into alignment with the passages in the rack board; alever shaft extending along said shifting plate in parallel relation tothe rear edge of the latter; levers projecting from said lever shaft;means connecting said levers to said shifting plate; and manual handlesmounted on said shaft for rotating the latter to reciprocate saidshifting plate.

4. A rackboard and switch apparatus for bingo games comprising:astationary rackboard having a plurality of ball holes; a shifting plateslidably mounted below said rackboard and having openings positioned toregister with the holes in the rackboard; a switch-supporting memberpositioned below said shifting plate; a plurality of switches mounted onsaid switch-supporting "member, there being one switch for each open- 5ing in the shifting plate; a switch-operating handle'ior each switch,said handles projecting upwardly. through the shifting plate and throughthe rack board adjacent the holes therein, said switches and handlesbeing so positioned that when in the "01T position, said handles willextend into said holes to prevent a ball from entering, and when in theon position, said handles will be swung to one side of said holes toallow the balls to enter therethrough.

5. A rackboard and switch apparatus for bingo games as described inclaim 4 in which the switch-operating handles are placed to be con--tacted by said shifting plate as the latter moves to align its openingswith the holes in said rack board to simultaneously swing all of saidhandles to the "01? position.

JAMES S. HOFSE'I'Z.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 350,450 Tucker Oct. 5, 1886496,366 Moore Apr. 25, 1893 1,253,471 Ellison Jan. 15, 1918 2,003,979Skoric June 4, 1935 2,130,123 Ebert Sept. 13, 1938 2,203,886 Zamora June11, 1940

